The administration of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) is expected to receive a report sometime this week, from a private company that conducted a study, to determine whether the institution is experiencing some form of mould infestation.
Principal of the college, Urban Dolor told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) in a recent interview that samples were taken by the company to conduct the relevant study. The aim is to determine the real reason behind students falling ill and to find a way to fix this problem.
Many students had complained of experiencing different types of illnesses and claimed that it might be mould infestation. Some had coughing, itching, and breathing problems.
Dolor told SNO that the SALCC is not in a position to conclude that there is mould at the institution.
However, he said it is absolutely critical to ensure that students are in a place that they could feel comfortable. As such, affected students have been relocated to alternative classrooms.
He said the SALCC also recognises that they are allergens other than mould. “There can be dust and dust mites that can in fact aggravate persons to have certain respiratory ailments,” he said. This is also being looked at, so as to determine the true cause of the problem.
On September 24, students protested the condition of the facility, which they said has caused many people to fall ill. The Students’ Council had also advised the school’s management that they will not return to classes until the matter is resolved.
An emergency board meeting was held following the protest. Officials of the SALCC decided to suspend all classes for that particular day and subsequently relocated the students. The administration has since cleaned the area thoroughly.